


Hold my Hand

by the_little_bay_that_could



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Flirting, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-07 23:04:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8819848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_little_bay_that_could/pseuds/the_little_bay_that_could
Summary: Based on this post."AU where upcoming world champion Viktor Nikiforov pretends to be an amateur at ice skating just so he can get lessons from the cute, oblivious skating teacher next door."Viktor is vacationing in Hasetsu and meets Yuri. Flirting ensues, and Viktor acts if he has never stepped foot on the ice before.





	1. Chapter 1

The life of a professional figure skater allowed for little respite. It was always practice, practice, and _practice._ When there wasn’t practice there were competitions, or lengthy flights to far-off nations, or sternly affectionate lectures from Yakov. Then Viktor was again back to practicing, and practicing some more. His life was the graceful and beautiful monster that is figure skating, and though he loved it, he wasn’t going to deny himself a break either. 

Last season had been good but tiring, and the Grand Prix Final was in his sights for the upcoming season. Yakov insisted that if Viktor wanted to become a world champion, he couldn’t take an _entire_ two months off, and while that argument had some merit to it, Viktor reasoned with himself: a world champion needs some time to relax. _Besides_ , he figured, he could find a rink wherever he vacationed, and put in some practice there. 

Viktor chose a place called Hasetsu. It was a picturesque city in Japan, home to hot springs and supposedly ninjas. Viktor wasn’t sure which part won him over—the hot springs or the ninjas. And while _sure_ , the hot springs ended up being pretty great, and it was amusing to imagine ninjas stalking among the shadows, Viktor found that Japan had far, _far_ more appealing things to offer. Namely the young man who was working at the bathhouse inn he was staying at. Viktor couldn’t (didn’t care to) remember names, but this one stuck with him as keenly as the man’s face did. Yuri.

“Yuri,” he greeted with a mischievous smile, the name rolling off his tongue playfully. “That is your name, yes?” Viktor was sprawled out in the hot spring, his stretched arms resting on the stone floor that sat just above the edge of the hot spring. 

Yuri halted his hurried motion of laying out towels for Viktor, and took the time to glance, and then blink rapidly at him. “Um, yes _,”_ he nodded just as hastily as he moved. 

“Why are you in such a rush?” Viktor all but purred, and he was sure he saw Yuri blush.

“I have to get to work.”

“I thought you worked here?”

“ _Other_ work,” he clarified, “At the ice skating rink. I’m an instructor there.”

“You ice skate?” His interest peaked—Japan only got better by the moment.

“Yes, I do,” he said with a nod, as an awkward hand scratched at his head. 

Viktor stood, naked and concealed only slightly by the water and a fountain that stood between him and Yuri. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to skate,” he lied, eyes focusing on Yuri’s. “Maybe you can teach me?”

“Ah… _yes!”_ Yuri said after a moment, and there was such a boyish bashfulness to it Viktor had to stifle a chuckle. “Yeah, I can teach you. If you’d like.”

“When do we start?” Viktor strolled towards Yuri now, and gracefully lifted himself out of the hot spring, leaving his naked body fully exposed to a shy, young Japanese man who was evidently struggling not to stare. Not wishing to torture him any longer, Viktor plucked a towel and tied it around his waist. 

“Uh in two hours I’m free. It’s at Ice Castle Hasetsu,” he told him and gave him the address. 

“I will see you then,” he said and turned away, walking off much like a model would strut down the runway. 

“Y- _yeah,_ ” Yuri nodded, “see you then.” 

* * *

 

Yuri felt bad because he really couldn’t focus on little Kayo, who he was supposed to be giving a skating lesson to right now. Instead, his mind was occupied by the mysterious, most-likely-Russian guest staying at his family’s inn. He had these fierce, icy-blue eyes that were right out of a trite, albeit heartwarming, romantic movie. Then there was his shinning silver hair, which was like that of a sexy silver fox, or maybe a unicorn. His body was toned to perfection, his accent unbearably sexy, and Yuri was pretty sure his name was Viktor. Yuri hadn’t developed a crush on him yet—he was simply _admiring_ —, but he was sure he’d soon fall into that pit. 

The lesson with little Kayo went on too long, and when Viktor didn’t show up right on time, Yuri became anxious that he got lost, or decided to ditch his skating lesson altogether. He showed up two minutes later, but that didn’t seem to quell the ball of anxiety dug firmly in his chest. The anxiety which, if he was being reasonable, really had no business being there at all. He was just teaching ice skating to someone that wanted to learn how to ice skate. No big deal. Just another student, who happened to be horribly attractive.

“I’m ready for my skating lesson, Yuri,” and while Yuri was not sure if Viktor winked, he was positive Yuuko, standing in the distance, did. 

“Alright,” Yuri said a bit too fast, because somehow he looked just as good in clothes as he did naked. He wore a dark navy V-neck, and the sleeves cut off just below his elbows. It fit his form well, and Yuri didn’t want to think about how nicely his black compression pants hugged his muscled legs. “Have you ever skated before? I’ll get you skates,” he spat out all at once.

“No,” Viktor followed steps behind Yuri, who paced forward to fetch a pair of skates. “But its always interested me. It is such a beautiful sport,” and the word _beautiful_ seemed to get caught in the air as it floated out of Viktor’s mouth. It was tangible and there for Yuri to grab, because Viktor was _definitely_ flirting with him now, but he adamantly denied that reality. Surely this sexy-silver-Russian-fox couldn’t actually, _seriously_ be flirting with him. “Are you okay, Yuri?” Viktor’s voice knocked him out of his trance, and Yuri realized he’d been intently analyzing the different pairs of skates for far too long.

“Yes! I’m good!” he exclaimed, and grabbed a few pairs of skates for Viktor to try on. It was the third pair that fit.

“I think you will have to hold my hand, Coach,” Viktor said innocently, “I am not sure I’ll be able to balance well.”

“R-right,” Yuri choked out, already on the ice, skating in lazy circles. “Of course,” he amended, skating towards Viktor and gently taking his two hands in his own. Viktor’s hands were soft and smooth. 

Yuri skated backwards now, offering Viktor some basic instructions. The Russian tentatively moved forward. He didn’t stare at his feet, as most beginners did, but instead focused his attention on Yuri’s eyes. His face was gentle as he did so, and his mouth quirked up in a slight smile. His skating was surprisingly fluid. It seemed to come easy to him, and Yuri only found himself more impressed as they finished their second lap around the ring. Most of the first-time skaters he taught struggled to even stand, much less skate with such ease. Granted they were generally far younger than Viktor, but even the older ones tended to trip over everything that was and wasn’t there. They tripped over the ice and their own skates, over Yuri and well, God knows what else. 

“Wow! You’re really good!” Yuri finally said, his eyebrows raised and mouth slack. He stared at everything but Viktor’s face. “Are you sure this is your first time on the ice?”

“Positive,” Viktor spoke in a light and flirtatious tone. Hearts practically danced around his words and in his eyes. Yuri didn’t notice. 

“Wow,” he repeated, “I’m impressed. You’re a natural!” he let his hands fall away from Viktor’s, but Viktor quickly picked them back up in his.

“I’m still a bit nervous to skate without your help. I think I need to hold your hands for a bit longer.” Yuri was positive Viktor’s silver eyelashes just _fluttered._

_“_ Ah, _right,”_ he nodded slowly, “as long—as long as you need,” he tried a shy smile this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not used to writing fluff and romance, but I hope you all like it. I don't have a beta, so there may be typos.  
> Let me know what you think and enjoy! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Yuri hated to admit it—in fact, he actively refused to admit it—,but he developed something like _feelings_ for Viktor. It was awful, and quite frankly pathetic. He just met the man. Yet, contrary to all reason and rationale, the _feelings_ butted their ugly head into his life. He felt like a teenage girl. There were butterflies in his stomach, and every time he thought he heard Russian-accented Japanese, his heart skipped a beat. 

He couldn’t properly focus on his pork cutlet bowl with Viktor sitting _right there—_ just across the table. Viktor was enthusiastically inhaling his own pork cutlet bowl, and while most people may have found it distasteful, Yuri thought it was attractive.

“This is so good!” Viktor exclaimed, mouth still stuffed. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.” He forked in another mouthful, even though the previous one had not yet been swallowed. 

“I’m glad you like it.”

Viktor licked his lips, and Yuri wanted to die. “Tell me about yourself, Yuri,” he inquired, his elbow propped up on the table, and his chin resting in the palm of his hand. Strands of silver hair fell over his eyes, which now intently latched onto Yuri. 

“Uh. Um. Like what?” 

“Your life story,” Viktor said in a grandiose manner, a hand waving in a dramatic and ambiguous gesture. 

Yuri paused, collecting his words because he really didn’t know what to say. His life was dull, uneventful. He was unimportant, uninteresting. “I was born here,” he shrugged, “I started figure skating when I was young. I wanted to go pro… but that never happened.”

“Why not?”

“I just, I-I was never good enough,” he shrugged, “Whenever I’d compete, I’d just crack. The pressure was too much.” 

Viktor finally put his fork down, focusing on Yuri. “You should skate for me,” he said bluntly.

“ _What?”_ Yuri’s face scrunched in confusion. He too put down his fork.

“Skate for me,” Viktor demanded with an intensity that surprised Yuri. “I want to see you skate. I’m sure you're beautiful on the ice.” 

“ _I-I,_ um okay. I can skate for you. Sure,” he spattered. His cheeks felt like they were burning.

“Great,” the Russian smiled widely and mischievously, “I will go get ready.”

“Now! You want to go _now?”_

“Well-yes! Of course,” Viktor paused, rising to his feet. He wore an affronted expression. “Unless you’re not ready?”

“No, I’m ready!” he said too quickly. His voice was so sure of itself and so decisive that he sounded much like a defiant child, too anxious to prove himself. 

In a rush of ten minutes, Yuri scrambled himself together and bursted out the door. His heart was racing in his chest as he and Viktor made their way to the skating rink. He must have been panting like a dog, his breath was so loud in his ears. He was being ridiculous, though. Viktor was making him think and feel irrationally. This situation… it was a good thing. _I could impress Viktor,_ the thought subconsciously poked at him (he wasn’t ready to consciously admit he was already trying to impress Viktor). Viktor wouldn’t know the difference if he made some minor mistakes. People foreign to the world of figure skating were easy to impress. Just do a few fancy jumps, and drool would begin to seep from their mouths.

“What do you do, Viktor? For work, I mean.” Yuri asked, realizing he knew barely anything about his family’s guest.

“Oh, not much,” he shrugged, “Still trying to figure that out, I guess,” he glanced at Yuri, and then stared off at Ice Castle Hasetsu, which was coming into the distance.

Yuri nodded, accepting the vagueness of the answer. “I get it. I think I still am too.”

 

* * *

 

“You two here again?” a small woman inquired as Viktor and Yuri ambled into Ice Castle. Viktor remembered her from four days ago, when he and Yuri first came here. Her brown hair was still tied up in a tight ponytail.

“Yuri is going to give me a performance.”

“Is that so?” she raised an eyebrow at Yuri.

“Viktor wanted to see me skate.” 

She nodded slowly, smiling. “He’s really great. I’m sure you’ll be impressed.” Yuri trotted away to put on skates, and the woman took a long step towards Viktor. She stood underneath his chin, and studied him with a face that was simultaneously stern and playful. “What’s this about?”

“What’s what about?” Viktor asked innocently.

“I know who you are.”

Viktor smiled. “And who are you?”

“Nishigori Yuuko,” she spoke with a snap to her voice, seeming to imply that Viktor should have already known who she was.

“I like your friend, Yuuko,” his mouth quirked into a smirk. “I want to get to know him.” 

“Why not just tell him who you are?”

“It’s more fun this way.” Viktor heard Yuri call for him. “Keep my secret?” he said with raised, expecting eyebrows.

Yuuko fussed about it for a moment, but quickly enough ceded, “Sure,” she spoke sternly, and tried desperately to twist her face into an angry expression, but Viktor could tell she was excited.

“Coming!” Viktor called back to Yuri. Before striding off, he glanced slyly at Yuuko andpressed a finger to his lips, _quiet._ Yuuko couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

Yuri was stretching outside the rink, looking concentrated, as Viktor reached him. Viktor crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall of the rink. “Hey,” he said finally.

“Oh!” Yuri jumped and then blushed. “Didn’t hear you come.”

“I’m excited to see you skate.”

Nodding stiffly and still blushing, Yuri hurried away from Viktor and into the rink. Viktor grinned—it was adorable, really. He could practically _feel_ the nerves bouncing off him, even though he was nothing more than some cute stranger to Yuri. 

Yuri skated through some routine warmup exercises before the _grand performance_ commenced. Viktor felt something like anticipation and excitement pressing against his chest. The night before, he had scoured YouTube for videos of Yuri skating. His skating lesson had left him curious about Yuri—and he ended up impressed. The videos were mainly from a few years ago, with Yuri skating in various competitions across Japan. Viktor saw that he was tense and anxious, and that this lead to his shortcomings. However, when he came across a recent training video, an entirely new Yuri manifested on screen. With no judges and no fans, no bright lights and no pressure, Yuri’s skating was _beautiful._ He was phenomenal. Competition seemed to strangle Yuri with nerves, but when he escaped the hoards of watchful eyes, his skating was free and fluid and mesmerizing. It tugged at something in Viktor—his heart, he’d say, at the risk of sounding corny. But Yuri’s skating was new and refreshing. With every movement he made, Viktor felt the paintbrush of a greater masterpiece, he heard the words of a larger story. 

Despite Yuri’s anxiety for having to perform for his newfound crush, the brilliance of his skating was similar to that of his practice video. After all, there was only a single pair of watchful eyes. And to Yuri, these eyes were nothing spectacular (aside from in their color). These eyes belonged to neither a judge nor a fellow skater, neither an idol nor a fan. These eyes passed no judgement, but instead only admired. Viktor imagined Yuri felt comfort in this.

Viktor found himself glad he had not yet told Yuri who he truly was. If he had, he would have never witnessed him in his truest, freest form.The music danced with Yuri, and Yuri danced with it. There was an innocence to his skating that endeared Viktor, yet unsung passion seemed to burn beneath, desperate to find its voice. Yuri’s hips shied away from fierceness, but were graceful in their movements and cried to Viktor with fervent desire. His step sequence was intoxicating, and his jumps—while he fell once—were sharp. Viktor was sorely tempted to jump onto the ice and skate with him. 

The performance ended, the curtain closed, and the skater, like a statue, froze in a grand pose. Only his sweat and panting revealed that he was indeed alive, and not just a handsome statue finely chiseled from stone.

The statue skated over, eyes wide and hopeful. Viktor struggled to pull himself out of his reverie. “So?” the statue, the skater, _Yuri_ asked.

“Wow,” the prodigy, the world-champion-to-be answered, slack-jawed. “That was beautiful,” the words floated out before Viktor really meant to say them.

A wide smiled pulled at red, sweat-stained cheeks. Yuri’s eyes sparkled and seemed to exclaim _Really? You really think so!_ , but his mouth shyly, yet excitedly, spoke “I’m so happy you liked it!” 

“I’m so grateful to have seen it,” Viktor smiled back, his face soft and adoring. “I think I have a lot to learn from you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah :)


End file.
